Tas question of the right of the public to the foreshore of the Soochow Creek is likely to prove one of the utmost importance to the foreign residents of Shanghai. We fear that the community hardly appreciated the magnitude of the issue at stake, or there would lave been more discussion when the matter came before them at the annual meeting of Ratepayers on Wednesday Inst, Lhe main facts of the case which has given rise to the present dispute are generally known by all who take any interest in public affairs, Tu 1854, Land Regulations for Sbanghai were promulgated, in which there was an Article to the effect, among other things, that as new lots of land wore acquired the beach grounds should be surrendered to public use, Subsequently to this Mr. Luce acquired by purchase from the Chinese a large lot of land having @ frontage on the Soochow Creek. The foreshore of the Oreck has greatly extended since the date of the purchase, and the area of laud to the north of the Soochow Road is now of considerable extent. Mr, Ince now claims this land as his private property, We are not of course in a position to state the grounds on which he claims it, bub the only two grounds which naturally suggest themselves are, first that the piece of land which is now claimed was not included in the beach grounds which were to be surrendered under the Regulations, or, second, that the Regulations are invalid, first point is, of course, one that might fairly enough be raised by any land-owner who had any ranson to suppose he was in the right. In the present instance we admit we entirely fail to see the very slightest grounds for such a contention. When the adjoining lots were sold the advertise. ment warned buyers that the foreshore had been surrendered under the Regula. tious, and it is hard to see any difference between the two cases; still the defendant cannot always know all the circumstances on which' the plaintiff relies, and if Mr. Ince has any reason to believe that the Regulations did not strike at his piece of foreshore he is fairly entitled to a tearing, It is when we come to the second plea thnt we touch upon dangerous ground, and the fact that Mr. Ince or his agents have taken action against (he Chair. man of the Municipal Council and several of the police as individuals,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.